by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:15 AM ET, Thu October 3, 2019
Executives from Carnival Cruise Line were reprimanded in court Wednesday by a judge who has demanded they work faster to fix pollution issues attributed to the company's ships.
The United States District Judge Patricia Seitz said at a Miami federal court hearing that Carnival has not worked hard enough to put the promises of a more sustainable fleet into action since their cruise line went on probation, according to CBS Miami,
Carnival was given a five-year probation sentence for a 2016 criminal pollution conviction, but Judge Seitz was not satisfied by the efforts of the cruise line to be more environmentally friendly.
"We're not there. And we should be," Seitz told The Associated Press.
Carnival Chairman Micky Arison and CEO Arnold Donald said the cruise line is working hard to implement changes, but the company remained adamant that it takes time to get 120,000 employees, more than 100 cruise ships and nine different brands on the same page.
"We strive to be perfect," Arison said in court. "We won't ever be perfect, but we are going to work toward that."
The court appearance marks another chapter in Carnival's battle against environmental problems. Earlier this year, the cruise company admitted violating probation from the 2016 criminal case, which resulted in an additional $20 million penalty on top of the $40 million fine imposed initially.
Justice Department lawyer Richard Udell also recently said one of the problems the courts had with Carnival is the company's lack of understanding of where the estimated 50 million plastic bottles used on its ships each year are taken when thrown away. While the cruise company said they are recycled at the destinations it offers, officials could not provide any proof they were recycled instead of thrown in landfills.
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